BAKING BASICS

1. BAKING BASICS Ingredients and Techniques for Baking

2. Bell Ringer • What are your favorite baked goods?

3. Ingredient Basics • Flour • Liquid • Leavening Agents • Fat • Sweeteners • Eggs • Flavoring

4. Flour • Proteins and starch you find in nearly every baked product • The protein in flour is called gluten • What is Gluten: Protein that affects the texture of baked products. This gives a baked product it’s structure

5. The role of gluten • Gluten develops as flour is mixed with liquid • Forms strong, elastic strands that crisscross in a springy mesh of tiny cells • As the product bakes cells expand with heated air or gas • Kind of like blowing a bubble

6. The role of gluten • The longer the mixing time, the stronger the gluten will be • Cakes: quickly combined • Smooth, melt in your mouth texture • Yeast breads: dough is worked for ten minutes • very elastic framework and a more chewy texture

7. Types of Flour • All-Purpose Flour • Whole wheat • Bread Flour • Cake Flour • Gluten Flour

8. All Purpose Flour • Seen mostly in retail stores • Most popular in American Kitchen • Formulated to be weaker than bread flour so it can be used for pastries • Whole-wheat flour • Includes the germ and the bran • Dense and heavier • Self rising flour • Added baking powder and salt

9. Bread Flour • Strong gluten level • Used for making breads, hard rolls, or any product that requires high gluten

10. Cake Flour • Low gluten • Pure white color • Used for cakes and other delicate baked goods

11. Gluten Flour • High protein flour from hard wheat • Never used alone • Often added to dough • i.e. bagels and rye

12. Liquids • Plays role of physical & chemical changes • Gluten can not be formed without liquid • Milk and Water are most commonly used

13. Proportion of Liquid to Flour • The amount of liquid in relation to the amount of flour affects the texture and rising • Dough • Soft dough • Yeast breads and rolled biscuits • Stiff dough • Piecrusts and some cookies • Batters • Pour batters • Cakes, pancakes, waffles • Drop batters • Quick breads and cookies

14. Leavening Agents • This triggers a chemical reaction causing a baked product to rise • Common Leavening Agents • Air • Steam • Yeast • Baking Soda • Baking Powder

15. Types of Leavening Agents • Air: trapped air in mixture expands when the product is heated. • Air is added when products are beaten & sifted • Ex: Angel food is mainly leavened by beaten egg whites • Steam: As a product bakes, temperature of the water rises and steam is formed. The steam expands which causes product to rise. • Ex: Cream puffs & popovers

16. Baking Soda • Chemical opposite of an acid: base • Reacts chemically with an acidic liquid in the recipe to produce CO2 • Ie: buttermilk, honey, chocolate • Remember Volcanoes?

17. Baking Powder • Baking soda + dry acid (cream of tartar) • So no liquid acid is needed

18. Yeast • Fungus that thrives on moisture and warmth • Feeds on simple sugars in flour and sweeteners • Gives off CO2 & aroma • Active dry yeast • Partially dormant yeast in flour granules • Quick rising yeast • Works in ½ the time • Compressed yeast • Combo of yeast and starch

19. Eggs • Add flavor, nutrients, richness, color, and structure to baked products. • When beaten eggs add air to mixture • To reduce fat add 2 egg whites in place of 1 whole egg

20. Q. If you bake a Cake and it doesn’t rise what may have happened?

21. Fat • Adds richness, flavor, and tenderness to baked products. They can be solid or liquid • Types of fat • Shortening • Butter or Margarine • Oils • Lard

22. Sweeteners • Helps make products tender, adds sweetness and flavor, and helps crust brown. (Sugar is most commonly used) • Types • Granulated white sugar • Brown sugar • Honey • Corn syrup • Powder Sugar • Molasses

23. Flavoring • Fruits, vegetables, and nuts add nutrients to baked goods • Extracts are flavorings in liquid form (Vanilla and Almond are common)

24. Quick breads vs yeast Breads • Quick Breads • Leavened by agents that allow immediate baking • Air, steam, baking soda, and baking powder • Yeast breads • Leavened with yeast

25. Quick Breads • Quick breads are quick and easy to make. They don’t require kneading and usually use baking powder as a leavening agent. • High in carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and iron. Some quick breads can be high in fat. • Examples of quick breads are muffins, biscuits, pancakes, corn bread, and fruit breads

26. Quick Breads Made by Two Methods • Muffin Method • Biscuit Method

27. Muffin Method • Muffin method: • Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and make a well in the center. • Mix all liquid ingredients in separate bowl and then pour them in the dry ingredient bowl. • Do not over mix • Mixture should be lumpy • A properly mixed muffin should have a rounded, pebbly top

28. Steps in the muffin method • Sift • All dry ingredients and make a well in the center • Beat • All liquid ingredients • Pour • Liquid into the well and mix just enough to moisten all ingredients • Fold • Ingredients such as chopped nuts, raisins, berries

29. Loaf Breads • Many quick loaf breads are mixed in the same manner as muffins. • Usually baked in greased loaf pans. • If bread contains fruits or nuts, the bottom of the pan should be lined with parchment paper.

30. Testing for doneness • Muffins • Lightly browned with rounded, pebbly tops • Loaf breads • Lightly browned and have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan • Pancakes • Ready to turn when edges look dry and bubbles form and break

31. Activity • Leavening agent lab

32. Quick Breads • Quick breads are quick and easy to make. They don’t require kneading and usually use baking powder as a leavening agent. • High in carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and iron. Some quick breads can be high in fat. • Examples of quick breads are muffins, biscuits, pancakes, corn bread, and fruit breads

33. Bell Ringer

34. Biscuits • Biscuits are delicate, have a crisp crust, and peels apart in tender layers. • 2 kinds of biscuits: • Rolled- rolling out dough ½ inch thick and cutting with a biscuit cutter. If you do not have a biscuit cutter, use the rim of a water glass. • Dropped- dough is dropped with spoon. These contain more liquid and are too sticky to roll. - Both are made using the pastry and biscuit method of mixing.

35. Pastry and Biscuit Methods • In the pastry and biscuit method the fat is cut-in tothe flour. • To cut in means to mix solid fat and flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives in a cutting direction.

36. Troubleshooting Quick Breads

37. Bell WorkWhat is a favorite family recipe or dish ?

38. Yeast Breads

39. Yeast breads • Leavened by yeast… (yes unbelievable) • Dough must be well kneaded and allowed to rise

40. About Yeast • Single celled, microscopic plant. • When you add sugar to yeast, it reacts to the bacteria and creates carbon dioxide. This leavens the baked product. (fermentation) • Water mixed with yeast MUST be between 110 and 125 degrees in order to keep the yeast alive. • Available in three forms: • Active dry (what we use) - Compressed (very perishable) - Fast rising yeast (rises twice as fast)

41. Kinds of yeast breads • Basic white bread • Made only with all-purpose flour, yeast, slat, sugar, fat and water or milk • Batter Bread • Made like basic white bread, but with more liquid. The batter is beaten so the texture is not as light as kneaded yeast bread • Sweet white bread • Uses basic white bread ingredients plus butter, eggs, extra sugar, and sometimes nuts and fruits. Pecan rolls and coffee cakes are examples

42. Kinds of yeast breads • Whole grain bread • Made with whole grain flour which replaces part or all of the all purpose four in basic white bread. • Sourdough bread • Leavened with sourdough starter. This well-fermented mixture of yeast, water and flour gives a tangy flavor and chewy texture.

43. Making yeast breads • Mixing the dough • Conventional method: • The yeast is first dissolved in warm water to activate growth • Dissolve the yeast in water about 105 to 115ºF • Quick Mix Method • Combines dry yeast with the dry ingredients • Liquids must be warmer

44. Yeast and Kneading • After forming the dough for yeast breads, you MUST knead it!!!! • Almost all of the gluten forms during the kneading stage. • It is important to not add too much extra flour while kneading. This will make the dough far too stiff.

45. Kneading bread • To the video….. • Sprinkle surface and hands with flour • Flatten dough slightly • With heels of hands…press and push away from you • Pull the far side towards you (trapping air) • Rotate dough one quarter turn • 8 to 10 minutes

46. Yeast and Fermentation • After you knead the dough, what do you do??? • Letting the dough rise… • When you let it rest in a warm place, the yeast acts upon the sugar and the carbon dioxide causes the bread to rise. This is called FERMENTATION! • The bread should at least double in size during fermentation

47. Letting the dough rise • Quick-rise yeast • Can bake with only one rise • Traditional method • Must rise twice • Once after kneading and again after it is shaped

48. Letting the dough rise • Place dough in a large, lightly greased bowl (dough will double in size) • Turn dough so greased side is up and cover with plastic wrap • Cover with a towel • Choose a warm place for the dough to rise 75 to 85ºF is ideal

49. Letting the dough rise • Allow dough to double in size • To test • Polk the dough about ½ inch into surface • If a dent remains the dough is ready to shape • If it springs back… let it rise longer

50. Punching Down! • When the dough has risen all the way and has doubled in size, you have to punch it down to release some of the carbon dioxide. • Some doughs require a second rising period.